I recall there are some references to Tolkien outside of the two chapters given to his publishing history, too.

"Rayner sent most of the copies to friends, relations, and former Allen & Unwin/Unwin Hyman employees, leaving the remainder to Merlin for sale. "

Crikey! I feel privileged to have been able to secure a copy. (probaly at Oxonmoot). I had rather hoped I'd be able to ask Rayner to sign my copy at the next O/Moot, but sadly he passed away not long after. I was one of the TS group who attended his memorial service, at the Stationers Hall, in Ludgate Hill, London, in March 2001.

I don't know for sure whether mine is one of the 250 copies, but I'm inclined to think it is. I bought it from Thornton's during the Centenary Conference at Keble in August 1992. 'Copy 27' is hand-written on the back in black ink. On the front cover is printed

'The making of The Lord of the Rings by Rayner Unwin. Oxford - Willem A. Meeuws 1992'. There is a price of £4-50, hand-written in pencil, in the top right corner.

At the end of the text is printed 'Rayner Unwin - January 1988/May 1992'.

Further to my previous - in the note by Rayner Unwin on the publishing of TH, Rayner mentions the story of Tolkien making up the first line of the story while marking exam papers. I didn't hear of this story till I read it in Carpenter's biography in '77. Again; is this another first for this edition? Or am I forgetting something obvious?

I have a copy of this edition of TH: it's actually the fourth edition, Allen & Unwin; printed in 1972. Hammond and Anderson A3k, ISBN 0 04 823105 3.

Tolkien's facsimile signature is on the title page; the same as on Tree and Leaf etc. Not only did Fowler write the introduction; there's also a whole section of Ideas for Study, on a chapter-by-chapter basis (pp.281-303), including a short piece by Rayner Unwin on the publishing of TH, with a facsimile of 10-year old Rayner's report on The Hobbit. (is this the first time the facsimile sig, and Rayner's report were printed?) Fowler notes that many of the suggestions in this section come from 'English 11/12', by himself and John Dick.

It's actually a very good edition; very well bound in a tough, hard-wearing material. The introduction and the Ideas for Study make this edition stand out.